SOFII’s view

Inspirational, fun and heart-warming, the Help Hollie ‘pants on your head’ campaign engaged donors in a positive and interactive way, allowing them to share funny selfies whilst raising awareness of Hollie’s illness and the work done by Anthony Nolan cancer charity.

Summary / objectives

A young girl named Hollie needed a bone marrow transplant. Supporters of her campaign were encouraged to take selfies of themselves wearing underpants on their heads and then share the photos and message.

Background

Hollie was an eight-year-old girl suffering from cancer who needed a bone marrow and stem cell transplant. Sadly, there was no donor available in her family, so the Help Hollie campaign was started to help find a donor and raise awareness and funds for Anthony Nolan blood cancer charity.

Creator / originator

Matthew Clark (Hollie’s uncle).

Special characteristics

The Help Hollie campaign was fun and very visual, encouraging the viral sharing of selfies that ultimately led to celebrity support and mass local and national news coverage.

Influence / impact

Participants showed support by signing a stem cell donor register as well as by donating blood and, or, money to Anthony Nolan.

Costs

Minimal costs such as the website creation (helphollie.com) and leaflets and flyers, but most marketing materials were provided by Anthony Nolan.

Results

Hollie found a matching donor. Over 9,500 Welsh people joined the stem cell register in 2015, up by 2580 per cent. Football star Gareth Bale helped with the promotion and the Facebook page raised received 4.6 million likes. Hollie tragically passed away due to complications three months after receiving a transplant, but the campaign lives on through friends and family to help others suffering from similar conditions. So far, it has raised over £125,000 for Anthony Nolan.

Hollie & her Uncle Mac who first put his pants on his head to cheer her up and so started the #pantsonyourhead selfie campaign.

At its peak, when Gareth Bale, the world’s most expensive footballer posted his picture, the Facebook page had a total reach of 4.6 million.